SL Huang - Up and Coming - Stories by the 2016 Campbell-Eligible Authors

We caught a shuttle flight, a high-speed train, and were met in the nearest little town, Macklins Corner, by my son—Miell’s older brother—the one who’d been taking care of my life here. He drove us to the house. Hayes, always quiet, withdrew even more the farther we got from the city.

I kept talking to him. “We’re going to see Red soon.” “Tomorrow you’ll meet your aunt and some of your cousins.” “Are you homesick?” But it wasn’t until I said, “We aren’t really farther from your mother here than we were at home, Hayes.”

He looked at me. “Do you have a vid?”

“No. Not like yours. But we have a computer and Internet. You’ll be able to see and talk to her, she’ll just be smaller. But remember when I said we needed a little time first?”

He nodded, but he looked scared.

I patted his leg. “When Mom can’t v-link to us, she’ll be worried, but eventually, she’ll think to look at the back-up of the last chip in your series and see the scene we acted out, right?”

“Yeah. Then she’ll think that we’ve gone to the national park for a camping trip and that’s why she can’t v-link with me for a while.”

“Right. She’ll be mad, but with me, not you.”

“That’s okay.”

I smiled at him. “She’ll try to contact me here, or if not, I’ll call her. Look!” I pointed out the front window.

Down the gravel drive, Red, his wavy, amber coat looking unnaturally clean and well-groomed, came running up to meet us.

It took longer than I expected for Miell to figure out what I’d done. I made myself unavailable online most of the time, but I had my call-in software set to record missed calls. We’d been there almost two weeks before she made her first attempt.

By that time, Hayes had met all of his extended family, knew how to take care of the chickens and ducks, had recovered from his first ever case of poison ivy and was beginning to tan.

I was ready. I set my status to “available” one morning and waited for the alert. When it came, Hayes was out swimming with his cousins.

“Mother.”

“Hi, Miell. As you see, I took matters into my own hands. I think that’s what you wanted…even if you’ll deny it.”

“You are at home? He’s with you?”

“Yes. He’s well.”

“Mother…Jesus, you faked the memory chip! Why? Why’d you go to so…to such lengths?”

Today she wasn’t wearing any make-up. I could more easily see the girl I raised even through her dulled eyes. My heart went out to her.

“His life was lousy.”

She winced.

“He’s in need of…many things. But, we can agree that the most important thing he needs is his mother.”

She looked over her shoulder. “You don’t understand.”

“I do. I know about the binaural beats and the implants.”

She teared up. “You don’t know that I’m…trapped. I’m literally trapped.”

“By?”

“My brain.” She spat the words in a harsh whisper.

“Tell me.”

“I got the implants removed. That’s why I went away. My plan was to get them removed, come home, thank you, and have my life back. You wouldn’t have to be confronted with what a fuck-up I am.”

“So you got hooked on this stuff before the implants?”

“Oh god, yeah. For years. It changes your brain. I couldn’t sleep without The Beats. Then I couldn’t wake up without it. And the company knows exactly what they’re doing! They know. They hook you till you need more and then sell and insert the implants and, under the influence of it all, it seems like a good thing. You program it to put you to sleep or give you a high or stimulate you and no one’s the wiser because it doesn’t show. It’s piped into your brain 24/7!”

“Jesus, Miell.”

“I knew right away the implants were a mistake. I wanted the company to take them out, but they had me where they wanted me. They refused to download The Beats when I said I wanted the implants removed.”

“So how’d you…What did you do?”

“I had to go to a private doctor. They’re out now. But my brain is ruined.”

“No, no baby. It’ll get better.”

“I’m glad you took Hayes.”

I gulped hard. “Come here.”

She shook her head.

“You are one of the strongest people I have ever known. We’ll help you.”

“But…I’m no good to him. Kinda, you know, crazy right now.” She paused for a long time and then jumped at some noise. “Thanks, Mom. I’ll be in touch.”

Strains of an off-key “Happy Birthday” had just finished. Hayes, standing by the dining room table surrounded by seven cousins, two new friends, and even more adults, was about to blow out his candles.

Twisted crêpe paper in multiple colors hung crisscrossed over the ceiling and windows. Paper streamers curled from the light fixture along with dozens of balloons. A piñata awaited us outside on the maple tree. Everyone had gone all out to throw this sweet, sad boy, the best party ever.

I made the cake, so it was a tottering affair, but Hayes’ artistic cousin saved the day by drawing a fine facsimile of IncrediBlaster’s upper body with red cape streaming over its lumpy surface.

Just before he blew out the candles, my calico cat jumped on the table and stuck a paw right into IncrediBlaster’s nose. Everyone reacted: screaming, yelling, waving, shooing, shouting, laughing, and then someone noticed the cat’s tail was on fire.

The flames were quickly extinguished, the cat was unharmed, and the chocolate cake was delicious.

Loud. Messy. Colorful. Giddy. Playful. Boisterous. Joyful. Unforgettable. A real birthday party.

Everyone moved outside and the kids were well into their mission to destroy the piñata when my attention was drawn by Red barking and running to the front of the house. I followed him.

A taxi sat in the drive. The back door opened and Miell stepped out into the bright sunshine. She held onto the open car door as if she might crawl back in and take off again.

“Mom,” she croaked.

I rushed over, found her wallet, paid the driver, put my arm around her waist and said, “I’ve never been so happy to see anyone in my life.” She crept along like a woman much older than me but she managed to squeeze my shoulder with her shaking hand.

“I’m taking you upstairs. We’re having a party for Hayes and there are too many people here for you to face right now.”

“A party? For Hayes?”

“I’ll explain later. What do we have to do to help get your brain healthy again?”

“Oh god, Mom, if I knew that, I’d…” We were half-way up the stairs. She turned and looked at me, the pain in her eyes palpable. “I need to be reminded of why…“

“Why you’re putting yourself through this?”

“Yeah. Like a hundred times a day. I’ll forget.”

I tucked both kids into bed that night.

Miell first. My son gave her a mild sedative from his medicine cabinet. She looked calm for now, lying in her old bed. “I’ve always been trouble.”

“You’re worth it.”

“One doctor suggested electroshock.”

“No. They still do that?”

Her shoulders rose and fell against the pillow. “Guess so. I decided coming here to the boonies might be a little more pleasant than that alternative. And being this far out in the country might serve as enough of a shock to my brain. It’s worth a shot.”

I smiled at her. She was broken, but not destroyed. “That part of you that’s ‘trouble?’ It’s your best part as well as your worst. Put that fierceness to work for you.”

“Easy, right?” she said, gripping the bed sheets. I stroked her hands and she relaxed them, closing her eyes.